Network-based (e.g., Internet-based) discussion environments are becoming increasingly popular. One general example of a network-based discussion environment is a discussion forum. A discussion forum supports a casual discussion of topics amongst users. A user, as desired, posts ideas, opinions or information and reads responses posted by other users. In many cases, posts and replies are tracked and displayed in a hierarchical tree-like manner. Posts that start new topics are commonly displayed at the top of a tree, and corresponding replies are shown indented beneath the original posts. Some forums support special features such as an ability to search through posts for specific words or phrases. It is common for some discussions that occur within a forum environment to become relatively dynamic and spontaneous.
A more specific example of a network-based discussion environment is a newsgroup. A newsgroup is commonly implemented as a topic-focused public discussion forum on the Internet. Postings within a newsgroup generally take the form of electronic messages that are addressed not to a specific individual but instead to the newsgroup itself. Some newsgroup systems are configured to “thread” discussion to support an organization of various topics around a central theme. In many cases, a user must subscribe to a newsgroup in order to participate and/or track a discussion on an on-going basis.
Another specific example of a network-based discussion environment is a mailing list, which, generally speaking, is an e-mail based discussion group. Many mailing lists are implemented such that a list server receives an email from a user and sends corresponding mail to a set of users included on a mailing list. A moderator may screen incoming messages and, in some cases, cancel distribution. In many cases, users join a mailing list through subscription. Many mailing lists are focused on a particular topic. In some cases, a mailing list may be configured such that a user selects a hyperlink, thereby initiating a function that enables the user to post a message to subscribers.
Network-based discussion environments such as, but not limited, those specifically mentioned above, can suffer from bursts of posting activity resulting in runaway threads. In many cases, the longer a thread becomes, the less relevant posts become to many participants, which results in an increased noise-to-signal ratio and a decreased overall list value. Decreasing relevancy from the perspective of many list participants has proven to be a relatively common occurrence, especially in discussion environments wherein a variety of discussion topics are associated with a broad primary category. While some posts under a given topic will be interesting to many participants, there inevitably will be less relevant posts, particularly in cases where a thread of posts under a given topic becomes relatively long.
Discussion moderation is one way to encourage posts with high relevance to many participants. For example, a discussion can be moderated manually by one or more individuals that review a post and determine how, when and whether the post should be accepted. For obvious reasons, this type of moderation is burdensome and expensive due to necessary human involvement.
Another type of moderation is automatic moderation. Because there is a potential correlation between long threads and decreasing relevancy, one option for automatic moderation is to place a limit on the number of posts a user can make. One drawback associated with this approach is that some members are naturally more prolific and provide more valuable information and/or opinions than others. Thus, limiting posts may actually decrease the value of discussion.
Another option for automatic moderation is to limit the maximum length of a thread. One disadvantage associated with this option is that opportunities for good discussion may be lost because some threads are simply more interesting than others. The earliest posts to a thread may not necessarily be the most relevant or valuable.
The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended for use as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. Also, it should be noted that the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any noted disadvantage.